


untitled

by glasgow_blue



Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: Gen, Lotrips - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-08
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2018-02-28 16:23:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2739071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glasgow_blue/pseuds/glasgow_blue





	untitled

This was written as part of a precursor to the creation of the community [](http://1-percent.livejournal.com/profile)[**1_percent**](http://1-percent.livejournal.com/). It's been sitting on my jump drive for a while.

_Water, a mistaken belief, some form of cleaning or tidying, and music. 250 words minimum, 750 maximum_

 

"I used to be frightened of the sunset."

Dom gives Billy a sidelong glance, then turns back out to face the sea. The tide is out, leaving a stretch of flat sand at their feet, and the water is glass-like. He thinks that maybe he could run across the surface and catch the sun to keep it from setting and marking the end of another day of their time.

"It's true," Billy continues. "We went to Skye, once, when I was a lad. To Uig. My da told me that the sun goes out when it sinks into the ocean. He said that a little man ran out from shore and across the waves carrying a lantern to re-light it for dawn."

Dom thinks this is a cruel thing to tell a child, but he keeps his mouth shut. Billy's memories of his parents are few and far between and it's a rare moment when he'll offer one up. He imagines wee Billy, sitting in a dingy parlor in Glasgow, watching the sun sink between the buildings and wondering if it will ever be daylight again. He knows that there were surely days when Billy was convinced his world would always be shrouded in gloom and grief.

Next to him, Billy sits up straighter and shades his eyes with a hand, scanning the horizon, watching as the sun sinks into fuchsia-stained waves.

Dom gets to his feet suddenly, dusting sand from his shorts and shoving his sunglasses up to the top of his head in one motion. "C'mon, Bills."

Billy finds a way to sink deeper into the sand, rooting himself to time and place. He looks up, clearly skeptical.

Dom points down the beach to a spot where a small group has gathered. They are busy setting up grills and blankets. A girl with red hair opens a guitar case and begins to play, her chords mingling with the calls of gulls and the steady push of the wind.

"I'm not crashing a party, Dom."

"No," he shakes his head. "Look past them. To the jetsam."

Beyond the group, there is a wash of driftwood and kelp. By morning, it will be gone, flushed out to sea with the tide. By morning, the beach will be crowded with people and surfboards. By morning, Dom will be heading back to work and Billy will be on a plane bound for another side of the world.

"The wood," Dom says. "Let's build your Lantern Bearer a raft so he won't have to swim home."  



End file.
